Legal Reasoning and Legal Writing: Structure, Strategy and Style Book

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgements

I. Introduction to Law and its Study3 1. An Introduction to American Law3 2. Rule-Based Reasoning

3. An Introduction to Judicial Decisions and Statutes

4. Briefing Cases

II. INTRODUCTION TO LEGAL WRITING

5. The Art of Legal Writing

6. The Process of Writing

III. Office Memoranda

7. Office Memoranda

8. Initially Obtaining the Facts: Client Interviewing

9. Predictive Writing

10. How to Organize Proof of a Conclusion of Law

IV. GENERAL WRITING SKILLS

11. Selecting Authority

12. Working with Precedent

13. Working With Statutes

14. Working with Facts

15. Paragraphing

16. Effective Style

17. Citations and Quotations

V. CLIENT LETTERS AND LAW SCHOOL EXAMINATION ANSWERS

18. Advising the Client in Writing: Client Letters

19. How to Write Exam Answers

VI. THE SHIFT TO PERSUASION

20. Developing a Persuasive Theory

21. Developing Persuasive Arguments

22. Handling the Procedural Posture

VII. MOTION MEMORANDA

23. Motion Memoranda

24. Point Headings and Sub-Headings

25. Statements of the Case

26. Questions Presented

VIII. APELLATE BRIEFS

27. Appellate Practice

28. Appellate Briefs

29. Writing the Appellate Brief

XI. INTO THE COURTROOM

30. Oral Argument

APPENDICES